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With absolutely nothing happening in the hockey world right now, and for the foreseeable future, I’ve decided to take the plunge and write player profiles for each member of the New Jersey Devils.
As was the case when I did them last summer, we’ll be looking at the season they just put together and expectations moving forward.
I’ve commented on Will Butcher, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt thus far. Today I’ll be looking at Miles Wood.
Counting stats: 68 games played, 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists), 13:14 average time on ice
5v5 underlyings: 1.54 points/60, -3.36 CF% Rel, -7.46 GF% Rel, -4.16 xGF% Rel, 97.9 PDO
2019-20 review: There are a couple different ways you can view Miles Wood’s season. We’ll start with the glass half empty approach because I have a feeling it will be the most common lens.
The Devils were not a good team. In fact, they were a bad one. The bar for outperforming peers was set fairly low and yet Wood couldn’t do so in any relevant on-ice metric. Whether looking at shots, chances, goals, or expected goals, the Devils’ share was smaller with Wood than without. That’s not exactly endearing.
On the flip side, Wood’s most frequent linemate was Wayne Simmonds. His most frequent center was Pavel Zacha. He spent almost as much time with Kevin Rooney as Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri...combined. Given his linemates, it’d be nearly impossible to come out looking anything but poorly.
Wood still produced at a ~28 point pace, which is respectable for a role player, and scored as many 5v5 goals as Tyler Seguin, Taylor Hall, Evander Kane and Tom Wilson.
His season wasn't as bad as some make it out to be. At least not in terms of individual production.
Fun fact(s): Only Brad Marchand, Brady Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel drew more penalties at 5v5 than Wood. While he takes a lot of them, this is the second year in a row Wood has finished with a positive penalty differential.
2020-21 outlook: I think Wood’s future with New Jersey is in doubt. It’s become clear his 2017-18 season was an aberration – as good as he is at generating chances, he just can’t finish them with any regularity – and he just doesn’t really fit anywhere in the lineup. He is not a top-6 guy. He is not defensively responsible enough to play on a successful shutdown unit. And, even for a team swimming in cap space, $2.25 million is a lot to pay for a 4th liner.
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the Devils move on from Wood and deal him to a team lacking speed, physicality, or simply willing to bet – someway, somehow – they can help him be more efficient with his chances.
In the event Wood is not traded, I expect him to continue on as a 3rd/4th line tweener. I just don't see him getting a big role in New Jersey.
numbers via naturalstattrick.com and hockey-reference.com
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